Loss and Gain
by KatnissGinnyMaxTally1
Summary: Hetalia Sci-Fi AU. They have been chosen as the best of the best, but they have a long way to go. And how far can you go in space? America/OC, Austria/OC, and various pairings yet to be decided (het, yaoi, yuri). Rated T for swearing, violence, and sensuality.


_The ship is called the Independence and it is where the soldiers go. Every ten years, the Independence returns to Earth and chooses a large group of twentysomethings (called Greedies) to come and train with them on the ship and on various newly discovered planets. It is a brutal training, based on who is smartest, fastest, and strongest. If a trainee doesn't meet the standards, they are either demoted to a janitorial job or left on an inhabited planet._

_The year is 3017 and the Independence has landed in Russia to choose the new Greedies. Many hopefuls have come to the landing sites in hopes of joining the ranks, but some still go against their will. When the best are chosen, they have no choice but to become enemies and allies, bonded by their mutual hatred of the system and nervousness over the great beyond they are about to enter._

_This is the world's thirtieth Loss. This is the game's thirtieth Gain._

-1-

There was never a larger congregation on Earth than the landing of the Independence in Moscow, Russia on November 17th, 3017. Reporters estimated a group of over ten thousand, all there to see the greatest spaceship in Earth's history land and then, eventually, leave.

The ship had landed majestically just outside the city, a spherical yet angular shape in the sky. A huge section of ground had been partitioned off, while the crowd pushed in on all sides.

Almost everyone in the crowd were hopefuls. They were there because they wanted to join the crew of the Independence and become leaders-or at least soldiers-in Earth's army. SomSome questioned the Independence; we haven't yet found other intelligent life in space, so why would we prepare for something that is not even a threat?he team of the Independence, called the Space Exploration and Investigation Assembly (SEIA), always answered the same way.

"There are other intelligent forms of life out there, though we do not yet see them. Sooner or later, they will see us as a threat and they will try to destroy us."

SEIA was lying.

SEIA knew.

There really was life out there.

"The Independence. I only ever thought I'd see the beauty in pictures!" Alfred said. He laughed merrily, spreading his arms. Rose rolled her eyes and nudged him in the arm.

"Alfred, we've been planning to join since we were ten."

"But I never thought we'd make it this far, Rose!"

Rose and Alfred had been at the site of the Independence days before it landed, taking turns saving their spot only feet from the line that separated them from the ship that now loomed in front of them. They had sprThey had spread out a picnic blanket, much to everyone else's chagrin, and now lying on their backs, looking up at the wonderful sight before them. The armed guards that were securing the border had bothered them at first, but now left them alone, passing them off as two crazy kids that had just seen their dreams turned into reality. they had. Rose and Alfred had been best friends for as long as they could remember, ever since they had pinkie-swearpinkie-swornthey were four or five. They had grown up with dreams of the Independence, of being at the top of the SEIA Board of Directors, of shooting phasers and killing aliens.

Now they were there, and soon it would be time to board the ship they had idolized forever.

"We need to remember that they may not choose all of us," Elizabeta said. "and we have to remember that no matter what, we will write to each other."

"I'm not sure that they have mail in space, Elizabeta." Yekaterina whispered. Elizabeta shrugged her shoulders and grinned. Yekaterina's sisters, Klara and Natalia, completed the group, listening to Elizabeta's excited chatter.

"No matter, Katyusha. We'll find a way to talk to each other somehow-if it doesn't work out, I mean." Elizabeta grinned. "but let's not worry about that now. We're finally here, and it's finally time to go!"

"I have to say that I have missed my brother." Natalia said. "Of all the reasons I choose to go on this ship, it is to join Ivan."

"He has been gone for quite a while. I wish that they had let him take a leave." Klara said.

"We'll all see him soon enough!" Elizabeta added, cheerfully.

They were directly in the center of the main crowd of pedestrians, glued to their spots by people on either side. They had meant to reach the site earlier, but there had been a mishap with their transportation, and it had gone downhill from there. So now they had finally made it, and were trying to push their way to the front, dirty and exhuasted though they were. They had been making progress, despite the hardship of it all.

"Natalia," Klara whispered. Elizabeta and Yekaterina were near the front of their square, and Klara leaned closer to her sister. Natalia looked up at her defiantly, already knowing what she was going to say. "Natalia, I want you to remember something: you were one of the reasons that Ivan left in the first place."

"I was younger." Natalia snapped. "I didn't understand what marriage was; I didn't know what love meant."

"But you still love him, don't you?" Klara asked. She and Natalia hardly ever got along, so it was a difficult conversation to have with her.

"I do. Like a sibling this time; not like a lover, not any longer." Natalia said. She crossed her arms, looking like she would not say anything else on the matter. "Why are you going, if not for the love of brother?"

"I...I love brother too, and miss him as well. However, I think it's the right thing to do, to take care of our planet." Klara said. She gave her sister a smile, which Natalia did not return. Klara sighed; she hoped Natalia didn't realize her real reson to join the Independence: she didn't belong anywhere else.

The crowd, which had been rowdy and disruptive just moments before, went completely silent. A section of the top deck, which had originally looked like a sheet of metal, snapped in half and revealed a transparent glass covering. Inside, as well as projected on two large television screens, were a young man and woman.

The man was tall, with short silvery hair and bright eyes. He smiled peacefully at the crowd, his eyes closing momentarily. He was quickly recognized as Yekaterina, Natalia, and Klara's brother, Ivan.

The woman was quite beautiful, and had long, black hair. She was quite a bit shorter than Ivan, but her personality shone bright enough for the both of them to share it. She held a microphone in her hands, and began to speak.

"We are so amazed by how many people have come to see us today, before we leave. I'm Mei Wang, and here is my friend Ivan Braginski." She said. "We are here to talk to you about SEIA, and the Independence."

This earned a round of applause, and Mei nodded silently until the fuss died down. She handed the microphone to Ivan.

"As I am sure you all know, SEIA is very selective." Ivan said. "We would like you to calmly note that even now, you are being tested, even now you are-,"

A shot rang out. There was a ripple in the crowd.

Yekaterina was dead, leaning against Klara and Elizabeta. Natalia whirled around, and screamed.

There was a moment of total silence.

And then there was chaos.

Shots rang out everywhere, people ran as fast as they could away from the area, trampling people who stumbled. Elizabeta and Klara shielded Yekaterina's body as Natalia looked for whoever had shot.

"Elizabeta, get Yekaterina's body out of here, alright?" Klara said. Elizabeta nodded, looking shocked, but said, "Meet me near the front. There'll be less people up there."

Klara nodded, and ran to catch up with Natalia, pushing and pulling against the crowd. "Natalia! Natalia!"

Natalia whirled, and Klara's eyes met her's. Klara paused. She had never seen Natalia ever look regretful. Now she saw the tears swimming in her eyes.

"We're not going to find them." Klara whispered. She reached for Natalia's hand and clasped it tightly. "We're...we're not going to find them in this mess."

Natalia opened her mouth to argue, but Klara cut her off.

"But we will find them, Natalia."

Then they ran together, rushing towards the ship and away from the now retreating crowd, ignoring the gunshots and bullets and crying people, and trying to reach their dead sister.

They did reach the front eventually, and there, they found Elizabeta again, standing behind the caution tape that had partitioned the area, with a gun in her hand.

"Where did you get that?" Klara demanded. Natalia ran and kneeled next to Yekaterina.

"From them; they said their names were Rose and Alfred." Elizabeta said. "They seem pretty badass, if you ask me." Klara followed Elizabeta's gaze and saw a man and a woman, both with guns, picking people up from where they had fallen and telling them to run. The man, Alfred, Klara guessed, picked up a little boy and grinned at him, making him laugh before handing him to a lady with messy hair and letting them run.

The area had emptied in seconds and to Klara's surprise, there were no government officials in sight. She saw that a group of about three dozen, including themselves and the heroic pair a few meters away, remained. There were no more gunshots, and everything was silent.

"Congratulations," Mei Wang's voice rang out and the ones that were left turned to look up. She and Ivan stood exactly where they had been moments before. "You have passed the first test."

"That was a test?" A man with silvery hair asked angrily. "A fucking test?"

"Please, leave your belongings and any family members here," Ivan said, ignoring the man's comment. "Join us on the Independence."

The room was blindingly white, a seemingly sterile area. There were no windows, and though it seemed small, everyone was able to file inside and line up in a square against the wall. They all stood out from the whiteness, with ripped or ruffled clothing. Everyone was silent when Mei and Ivan entered the room.

"All of you are here because you have performed well in our test." Mei smiled.

"The test that killed at least one, if not more, people?" Elizabeta snapped. She, Klara, and Natalia were reminded of Yekaterina again. Mei just turned and sighed, but then returned to smiling

"We do not know many of you by name. As we go around the circle, you will tell us your name and we will tell you why you were chosen."

Everyone was silent, obviously curious to see who everyone was and why they were there. Ivan and Mei went to opposite sides of the room.

"And who are you?" Mei would ask.

"Kiku Honda." He was smart and apparently was the first to reach the Independence when chaos broke out.

"Vash Zwingli." He had been the first to pick up a gun.

"Matthew Williams..." He hadn't even been noticed in the crowd; in fact, everyone had to look twice to make sure he was there.

"Gilbert Beildshmidt!" He had thrown himself directly into the fray.

"Rose Jones." She was the first female to be pointed out; she had been chosen for intellect and quick thinking.

"Klara...Klara Chernenko-Braginskaya." She stayed calm despite debilitating circumstances

Eventually, everyone was written down on a touchscreen pad. Ivan posted it high above their heads on the wall. At the moment, it was in alphabetical order.

"We will be going through various training stages and testing, yeah." Ivan said. "When we complete tests, your rank on this board will change. The best will be listed near the top, and the worst, near the bottom. Soon enough, there will also be two lists, one called Cats and one called Dogs. You will find out what those mean for _you _in time."

There was a pause. Mei smiled and said, "We'll lead you to the barracks. Welcome to the _Independence_."


End file.
